


Strictly In Love

by lovelarry10



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Competition, Dancing, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-23 00:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11978514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelarry10/pseuds/lovelarry10
Summary: Harry Styles is doing something he never thought he would do... taking part in another reality show, this time as a contestant in the 14th series of Strictly Come Dancing.With a talented professional partner, a supportive boyfriend and fun songs to dance to, will the most uncoordinated member of One Direction be able to pull off the impossible and dance his way to the trophy?





	Strictly In Love

  


Harry Styles stood in front of the mirror stood in the corner of his dressing room, adjusting his collar so that it sat neatly around his neck, making sure the lapels of his suit were sat flat and that his cufflinks were sticking out just below the hem of his jacket sleeves. He could feel the anxiety burning in the pit of his tummy, still unsure about the decisions he had made to get him to this point.

He heard a faint tapping at the door, took a deep breath and walked swiftly over to the door. Clasping the handle in his sweaty palm, he pushed it down and the door moved slowly open. Opposite him was the person he needed to see more than anyone else at that point. Louis stood there with a small grin on his face, eyes quickly moving up and down his boyfriend’s body. Harry reached out a hand, grabbing Louis’ wrist and pulled him inside the small room.

“Wow Harry, you look beautiful” spoke Louis softly, sensing that his boyfriend’s nerves were at their maximum at that moment, seeing the dots of perspiration on his forehand, and the way his fingers kept playing with the cuffs of his white shirt. 

Harry scoffed quietly, glancing at the floor. “I feel like I’ve made a stupid decision saying I’d do this Lou, what made me think I can do this?” He walked over to the sofa against the back wall of the room, hitching his trouser legs up his thighs slightly and took a seat on the far end. Louis quickly joined him, taking Harry’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers and squeezing gently.

“Because you’re not afraid of a challenge Harry, and you know why you agreed to do this – to raise money for the charities you’ve pledged your appearance fee to. It doesn’t matter if you’re completely shit – you’re doing a great thing, and I am so proud of you” Louis says, blue eyes locking on the green ones of the handsome man sat opposite him. 

“Not to mention the fact that you get to wear bloody gorgeous suits every week and look handsome as fuck in front of everyone” he smirked.

“5 minutes everyone!” came a loud shout from the hallway, a busy runner trying to get the celebrities ready for the big reveal which was now moments away.

Harry took a deep breath and stood up. Louis raised himself to his tip toes, placing a gentle yet firm kiss onto his boyfriend’s lips. It grounded Harry, immediately making him feel safe, and suddenly he knew that it didn’t matter if this was the worst decision in the world, Louis was behind him 100%, as were the other boys and his family, and that was what truly mattered. 

“Right. I guess it’s showtime...” he said softly as he walked towards the door, a small smile finally filling his face as Louis trailed behind him as the pair left the sanctuary of the room.

*************************

“Our next contestant is the fabulous One Direction star, Mr Harry Styles!” the presenter spoke with a big smile, prompting Harry to join her at the top of the stage. Harry, dressed in a form fitting black suit, complete with starch white shirt and black neck tie, plastered a smile onto his face, and joined the brunette on the stage.

“How are you feeling about all this Harry? Have you got anyone in the audience with you today offering you support or are flying solo?” The woman moved her microphone away from her own mouth towards Harry, smiling carefully at him.

“I’m so nervous, I can’t help but think I’ll be rubbish, I have no coordination and can fall over thin air” Harry laughed, prompting laughter to ripple across the room. With a bit more confidence now, Harry continued speaking into the microphone, glancing at all the smiling faces around the room, feeling the bright lights beaming down on him and noticing the red light above the camera in front of him.

“I’m not alone tonight, no, I’ve got my lovely Mum and step-Dad somewhere in the room, and Louis’ with them too” he said, unable to stop himself grinning at the thought. A quick cheer went up in the room as some of the younger members of the audience realised they were in the same room as not just one, but two members of One Direction. “Plus the other lads are watching at home, I couldn’t bear the pressure of having them all here!”

The lady smiled and rubbed Harry’s upper arm gently, reassuring Harry that he was doing fine. “Okay, well it’s time to meet your partner for the next 13 or so weeks then isn’t it?!” Harry felt the nerves starting to flutter in his belly again, watching the spotlights dance over the dancers lined up on the floor in front of him. After a tense 10 or seconds, which felt like years to poor Harry, it stopped on a petite brunette lady, clad in a beautiful teal gown. She gracefully walked up the few steps towards Harry.

He started smiling, opening his long arms for a hug as the woman stepped into them, squeezing Harry gently. 

“Breathe, it’s all fine”, she whispered as she leant into his embrace. Harry immediately felt like it was all going to be okay and pulled back slightly, smiling at her.

“Harry, you’ve been partnered with Sydney, who won the show 4 years ago now, so no pressure!” the presenter laughed.

Harry grinned back at her, ready to speak as the microphone moved back towards him. 

“I feel very lucky, I’ve seen her dance before and I just hope she has the patience to teach me how to dance! It’s a bit of a challenge, I can tell you that!” Harry joked, hearing the audience laugh once more at his self-deprecating jokes.

“Okay, well there we go ladies and gentlemen, couple number 7, Harry Styles and Sydney Carrera!” the presenter spoke into the camera as applause filled the room. Harry felt a small hand slip into his, turning to smile at his new partner as they waved at the camera before walking off stage.

*************************

3 days later, Harry was waiting inside the dance studio that was to be his rehearsal space for the foreseeable future, nervously waiting for Sydney’s arrival. Louis was there, sat in the corner munching on a Gregg’s sausage roll, watching Harry underneath his eyelashes, seeing his boyfriend pace around the room.

“Harry, you’re gonna wear yourself out even before you learn a step” he joked, seeing Harry spin around to face him, grabbing a bottle of water from the floor and taking a large drink.

“I know, I’m sorry Lou, I’m just so nervous, what if I fall over, what if I tread on her toes, what if-“ Louis cut him off then

“Harry, stop. You can’t keep going with the what ifs. You saw who she was partnered with last year, you can’t be any worse than him! Now just chill and wait here with me, she’ll be here soon” he said softly, patting the wooden floor next to him.

Sighing, Harry took the few steps across the floor and sank down next to Louis, grabbing the soft hand being offered to him. He closed his eyes and leant back until his head touched the wall, letting a few minutes of calm wash over him. Moments later, he heard a door open and heard soft footsteps walking into the room.

“Hi Harry!” came a bright voice, attached to a big, beaming smile across the room. Harry stumbled to his feet, quickly making his way over to her, placing a quick kiss on her cheek followed by a brief hug. 

“And you must be Louis” she said, flicking her gaze over to the back of the studio where she spotted the other man sat against the wall.

Harry beckoned Louis over, wrapping his arm around the man’s waist as he joined him there.

“Yes, this is my boyfriend Louis, he drove me here today cos I was so nervous” Harry laughed, feeling more comfortable as the time went on. Sydney turned and wrapped Louis up in a quick hug, which made Harry smile even more, knowing Sydney had accepted them both so easily.

“You’re a gorgeous couple” she smiled softly, as she watched the eyes of the men meet, feeling the love radiate between them. “Are you ready Harry? Ready to hear our first song?”  
Louis grinned quickly at his boyfriend, possibly more excited than Harry was to find out what they would be dancing and the song they’d be doing it to. He grabbed Harry’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

“Yes please!” Harry beamed at her, waiting as she fiddled with the iPod on the complicated looking sound system just behind her. Loud music suddenly filled the room around them, and relief flooded Harry’s body as he recognised the tune, starting to sing along.

“Fantastic, I love this song!” Harry excitedly shouted as “Ain’t No Other Man” by Christina Aguilera pounded around the studio.

“We’re dancing a cha-cha-cha to this Harry, it’s fairly fast but I think it works well” Sydney smiled as the two men in front of her were singing the lines to each other, dancing freely. She laughed as Louis twirled Harry around under his arm clumsily, the two men laughing as they failed miserably.

“Right, come on, time to get to work” she said, clapping her hands loudly two times, giggling as Harry smiled guiltily at her, kissing Louis quickly and taking a step away from him towards Sydney, ready for some hard graft.

*******************************

Just 6 days later, Harry felt like his chest was going to explode, and equally like he was going to be sick. He knew he couldn’t do this, couldn’t go out on that stage and dance in front of a room full of strangers, judges that would be criticising every move he made, not to mention the millions of people watching at home.

Sydney stood in front of him quickly, grasping his hands in her and gripping tightly, encouraging him to take some deep breaths.

“You can do this Harry. You know the steps, you were amazing in rehearsal, you can do this. Don’t over think it – let your body lead you, it knows what to do” she said softly, feeling a thin layer of sweat coat Harry’s palms as she held on. Harry could see the VT rolling in the little screen next to them as they waited for their entrance.

Before they knew it, they could hear their names being spoken by the loud announcer and cheers filled the room. Harry took a huge breath, closed his eyes tightly, and then opened them again. He turned towards Sydney, feeling her pull him along towards the curtain and suddenly his nerves disappeared as the bright lights beamed down on them as they made their way into their starting position.

The music began and Harry stopped thinking. He just thought about the steps in his head, letting his long limbs move their way around the dance floor, watching as Sydney kept her eyes locked on him as they performed step after step, hearing the claps and cheers of the audience as they quickly finished their 2 minute dance.

Harry couldn’t help but laugh as he and Sydney held their finishing position, her body pressed close to his, gripping his hand as the audience screamed wildly around them. He grabbed his partner into a hug, with his eyes clamouring around the audience behind her, desperately seeking out the eyes he wanted to see more than anything. And then... there they were. Louis was on his feet next to Harry’s mum, whistling with 2 fingers in his mouth, a huge grin spread across his face. As he locked eyes with Harry, his grin widened and placed 2 fingers against his lips, blowing him a kiss. Harry knew then that it had all been worth it, all the aches, pains, nerves and doubt, that he had done it.

Still gripping onto Sydney’s hands for dear life, he stumbled across the floor to her, nearly tripping over his shiny shoes causing a giggle to explode from his lips. The pair soon stood next to the blonde presenter of the show, who was busy encouraging the audience to keep up their applause, saying how fantastic they had been. Harry just couldn’t stop grinning, knowing that now he had to face the judges but he still couldn’t quite believe he had done it. He’d done his first dance.

“Harry, wow!” the older female judge laughed as her turn to speak came around. “You have natural rhythm Harry, and I can’t believe the footwork you were putting in there! The expressions on your face matched everything so well, I could see you enjoying every minute, for a first dance that was brilliant!” she grinned at him, clapping her hands in front of her.

The next few minutes passed by in a blur, as Harry listened to the judges praising his dance ability, giving him a few pointers for what to work on. He kept nodding blindly, no words sinking in at all, and he prayed Sydney was listening and taking it on board. Before he knew it, the audience were on their feet again as Sydney was pulling him across the floor, up the stairs to await their scores.

Harry felt lots of pats to his back as he fought his way through the rest of the contestants and their partners, grinning as he came to a stop next to the brunette presenter. He couldn’t stop a grin from erupting across his face once more as the scores were slowly revealed. Not top marks, by any means, but one of the highest scores of the night. Harry once again grabbed Sydney in a tight hug, as he could hear the audience cheering below them, could hear Louis’ whistles reverberate around the studio. 

“Wow, I can’t believe it, that’s amazing, thanks so much!” he gushed, as the microphone again came his way. “This woman is a miracle worker, she has the patience of a saint!” he laughed, squeezing Sydney gently against his side.

***********************

8 weeks later, Harry was still in the competition, and growing with confidence each week. He was up in the top section of the leaderboard week on week, much to his own disbelief and shock. The audience reaction was really positive, Louis was the proudest boyfriend each week, sat up in the audience with either Harry’s parents, his own parents or some of the boys.

“Okay Harry, time for a slower dance again this week” Sydney said, as Harry let her in through the front door of his and Louis’ home, into the living room where he joined Louis on their squashy couch, watching as she took a seat on the plush plum armchair in the corner of the room.

Harry groaned slightly, knowing that being the male in a slow dance meant being a strong, confident leader, something he felt slightly unsure about. Louis nestled further into his side, gently stroking the top of his hand as the pair sat, waiting to find out more.

“The dance this week is the Rumba, the dance of love” she grinned, raising her eyebrows at the two men sat in front of her.

Louis laughed loudly, saying “It’s a good job I’m not a jealous man, Harold”, to which Harry made a loud scoff, shaking his head at the lies coming out of his boyfriend’s mouth. Louis frowned quickly at him, following it with a quick peck to Harry’s lips.

Sydney fiddled with something on the iPhone in front of her, and the soft notes of their song for the weeks filled the room. Harry gasped, as “Falling Slowly” played from the small device, quickly turning his head to Louis’, smiling softly at him. Louis immediately smiled back, wrapping his arms around the waist of the man sat next to him.

Sydney sent them a puzzling look, waiting for the men to speak.

“We love this song”, Harry spoke softly as the music ended, stroking his hand gently up the side of Louis’ waist. “The film is great too, but this song is just beautiful, always reminds me of me and Lou”.

Sydney smiled, sensing how much the song meant to her dance partner, knowing it meant she’d be able to pull a very emotional dance out of him this week, and aim for those top marks they’d been so close to getting for the past few weeks.

*****************************

Thursday morning saw Harry and Louis arrive at the dance studio at 10am. Harry felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket, and quickly slipped it out to see who had been trying to contact him.

 **Payno:**  
Can’t wait to finally come and see you in the studio this week man, gonna come down with Nialler Friday evening and crash at yours?

 **Harry:**  
Course Li, that would be great, will make sure you’re sat with Louis and Jay. Syd will be there too so you can meet her. See ya then, let yourself in when you arrive.

“Just Li letting me know he’s finally coming to the show on Friday” he spoke to Louis, as his boyfriend was once again tucking in to another unhealthy breakfast. Harry grabbed the banana from his backpack next to them, and tucked in, knowing he’d need the energy. His phone promptly buzzed again, with Harry taking it from the small table where the sound system sat.

 **Sydney**  
So sorry Harry, caught in traffic, about an hour behind so far. Stick the track on and have a practise on your own, I’ll be there asap. Sorry x

Harry sighed, knowing that was an hour’s practise he really needed. He quickly explained the problem to Louis, who asked if he could watch what Harry had learnt so far. Harry hadn’t yet danced in front of Louis alone, so he felt nervous and weirdly reluctant. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of the man he loved so much.

“Come on Haz, I’m interested that’s all, I won’t judge ya babe” Louis said softly, trying to encourage Harry. He turned to the sound system, where the CD was already located inside the player, and queued up the track.

The soft guitar opening notes played out. The two men just stood facing each other, small smiles lining their faces as they listened to the lyrics. Louis carefully reached out his left hand, taking Harry’s right and pulling him gently towards him. Harry guided his arm around Louis’ back, slowly raising his right hand which clasped Louis’ smaller left hand. He stared his green eyes down into Louis’ blue ones, feeling the soft press of Louis’ torso against his as the pair began to sway slowly to the rhythm of the music.

After a few moments, he felt Louis’ head gently rest against his chest, followed by his arms snaking up around Harry’s neck, softly stroking the skin at the back of his neck and fiddling with the curls that nestled there. Harry joined his hands together behind Louis’ back, resting them gently against the base of his spine. The pair rocked together, the music surrounding them. Harry felt Louis lift his head, tilting his face up to Harry’s, who bent down and laid a tender kiss upon Louis’ lips. They stood there kissing for what seemed like forever; gentle, soft, tender, loving as the track continued to play on repeat. They weren’t at all aware of Sydney stood quietly in the doorway, watching them and taking a snap of the pair on her phone, smiling to herself.

“I love you Lou, always” Harry whispered into Louis’ ear.

“Always you, Haz” Louis whispered back.

Sydney took her phone back out of her pocket, opening up Instagram and posting the picture of the two men she had just taken, adding an arty black and white filter before writing out a caption below it.

**_“True Love. If only we could all be so very blessed.”_ **

She tagged Harry and Louis, and posted it. She heard the vibrations of the phones of the two men go off, as they got a notification of her post. Pulling apart slowly, they reached for their phones, and grins spread across their faces as they saw what she had done. Harry caught her eyes across the room, and called her over.

“I hope you don’t mind Harry, it was just such a lovely moment, I felt privileged to see it and had to capture it forever” she mumbled nervously, hoping she hadn’t upset two people who had become very dear to her lately.

She was stunned as it was Louis who grabbed her into a tight cuddle. “Thank you Syd, that’s a gorgeous photo, I love it” he spoke softly into her hair as he held her tight. A small tear worked its way down her cheek, with Harry softly wiping it away. She coughed then, feeling embarrassed at being caught out crying, and pulled away carefully from Louis, grinning at him.

“Right, I’d better leave you to it then!” Louis said loudly, grabbing his small rucksack, waving at the pair across the room as he walked through the doors to the car park, ready to hit the gym.

Sydney queued up the music again, instructing Harry to get ready to rehearse, and so they began...

***************************

The applause was thunderous in the studio as Harry and Sydney came to a stop in the centre of the dance floor, breathing heavily, with his left hand on her cheek. It took Harry a few moments to collect himself, to realise the judges were on their feet too. He swept Sydney up into a huge hug, lifting her feet off the floor, grinning wildly. He set her down gently, and took her hand, walking the few steps over to the judges again, who were still on their feet.

“Oh my god. Harry and Sydney. I don’t think I have seen a Rumba like this” one of the judges said quietly, causing a hush to settle over the packed room. You could hear a pin drop, it was suddenly so silent. “The passion, the touches, the love... it’s like nothing I have ever seen from an amateur dancer Harry. How..?” the judge trailed off, sending a puzzling look over to Harry.

Harry smiled, glancing down at Sydney who nodded softly at him, knowing what he wanted to say.

“It’s a song that’s very dear to me and Lou, I just imagined dancing it with him” he said tenderly into the microphone. He could hear the audience sighing at that, could see a few people in the front wiping tears from underneath their eyes. “It’s easy to dance a dance of love when you feel so loved, and you love someone so fiercely”. Everyone started cheering then, another grin erupting across Harry’s face.

“Well, I only wish I could be that lucky to love and be loved like you and Louis love each other” the female judge smiled back at him, with soft tears shining in her eyes.

Minutes later, Harry found himself and Sydney stood up on the balcony waiting to get their scores from the judges. He had caught Louis’ eye as he moved across the room before he had come upstairs, and saw tears streaked down the face of his love, saw Liam’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, holding him close.

Harry took a deep breath in and waited.

**“10!” “10!” “10!” “10!”**

Harry stood stunned as the room erupted in screams around him. He felt Sydney grab him and jump into his arms, heard her screaming loudly into his ears and suddenly it hit him like a freight train. He’d got top marks. He was the first one this year to do it, and he’d done it to a song so precious to him and Louis. Harry cheered out then, feeling the other professional dancers clapping him on the back, offering their congratulations and compliments to their dance.

As soon as the camera stopped rolling, he ran down the back stairs of the balcony, racing around the corridor at the back of the studio. He knew exactly who he was looking for, and his eyes franctically swept around the room looking for them. He spotted Niall before anyone else, and ran over. Louis had spotted him at the same time, and raced towards him. The pair slammed into each other solidly, wrapping their arms so tightly around each other, not wanting to ever let go. He could feel Louis’ body being wracked with sobs, could feel the front of his shirt dampen with Louis’ tears, and just clasped the smaller man tightly to him.

“I love you so much Lou, that was all for you. I love you. You’re my everything” he chanted softly. He pulled away gently as he noticed Niall and Liam making their way over, hovering slightly out of the way, keen not to separate the men before they were ready. Louis sniffed and went to wipe his eyes, as Harry allowed himself to be hugged by his bandmates.

“Mate, that was just beautiful” Niall shouted at him, a grin covering his face. “Who’d have thought the clumsiest man I know could be so graceful on the dance floor?!”

Harry made a mock-horrified face at him, before bursting into laughter. Jay walked over them, wrapping her arms around Harry’s neck and kissing his cheek softly.

“I’m so lucky my boy has someone who loves him so much” she whispered, smiling as she pulled away, going to comfort her still crying son. Harry smiled once more, still disbelieving what had just happened, and feeling on top of the world, hugged his boyfriend tightly once more.

*******************************

Before he knew it, it was the finals. Harry had made it to the finals, and was the favourite to win the whole thing by now. Nerves were pumping through his body as they rehearsed the group dance for the fifth time that day. “Runaway Baby’ by Bruno Mars was blasted around the room as the many bodies around him moved to the beat, some better than others, but all equally enjoying and having a fantastic time.

He could see the friends and family who had been invited to watch the rehearsals bopping around in the seats around the floor, and saw a few of his fellow competitors go and grab someone from the audience to dance with.

Harry smiled as he felt slim yet strong arms wrap around him behind, felt his boyfriend’s body press up against him, grinding softly into him. Harry quickly turned around, grinning down at Louis, and the pair let go, dancing wildly around the floor, not worrying about steps, a beat, rhythm... just having fun and enjoying every precious second together. They laughed, swapping partners, grabbing different people every few minutes as the music continued to play around.

After a few plays of the track, the director arrived on stage, and told everyone it was time to go and get ready for the big finale. Harry glanced over to see Louis and Sydney stood at the side of the dancefloor, huddled together, whispering something. He walked over, and abruptly the conversation stopped.

“Talking about me were ya?” Harry joked, snaking a hand around Louis’ back, letting it rest gently on his backside. Sydney blushed, but Louis just grinned at him, muttering “wouldn’t you love to know Haz?”

Harry laughed loudly, not caring that his dance partner and his boyfriend were clearly plotting something, instead focusing on what he still had to do that night. It was only a few hours until the show began, and nerves were really starting to settle in now. He knew that if he won, it would be a massive deal, and he didn’t know how to deal with that. Sydney was grabbed away then, by one of the floor managers, asking her something technical about tonight’s two dances that Harry knew he couldn’t contribute to.

Louis grabbed him in a quick hug then, pulling away and gazing into Harry’s eyes.

“I’d better go and meet the lads now then Haz, let you get ready and all that” he smiled up at him, knowing Harry needed a little time to himself before the live shows, despite having performing in hundreds himself as part of One Direction, knew that this pressure was different.

“Don’t forget to pick up Mum, Robin, Jay and Dan as well, will you?” Louis rolled his eyes then, saying “as if...” under his breath. He grabbed Harry in a quick kiss and a tender hug before walking away, heading off to pick up the friends and family who were excited to support Harry through his big night.

**************************

3 hours later, and the show was live. The first finalist had performed her dance, earning a good score, but by no means perfect. It seemed like the judges were being very harsh tonight, with raised expectations of everyone, and Harry was certainly feeling the pressure. He didn’t mind too much if he won or not, knowing the experience was worth it either way, despite the bruises, the aches and pains, and sickening nerves he had felt each week.

He was performing 2 dances tonight, as well as the group dance, and was convinced he was going to get them confused. Sydney was there to be a grounding, encouraging presence all evening, staying close to Harry, knowing how he felt about it all. 

Backstage was quite hectic as always, make up artists, costume designers, camera men all milling around, and Harry was grabbed several times for quick interviews that would be slotted into VTs that would be shown throughout the 2 hour long show that night. 

The second finalist was now on stage, dancing for the first time, and Harry knew he was up next. He was performing a fan favourite tonight, one which had earned him a high score time the first time around, his Paso Doble to ‘It’s My Life’ by Bon Jovi. It was a high energy dance, but one he felt confident with so was pleased to perform something familiar. He knew he looked good in his all black ensemble, his necklace sitting perfectly in the gap of his shirt, and his rings all gifted from Louis adorning his fingers.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he heard the audience cheer for the scores of the previous dancer, and stood next to the heavy velvet curtain, clutching Sydney’s hand for dear life.

“Chill out Haz, you know this dance, it’s gonna be great! This is nearly it babe, let’s enjoy ourselves okay?” she said quietly, as she turned around and placed her palms on his cheeks. Harry noticed her eyes twinkling, could see how excited she looked and he couldn’t deny that was rubbing off on him too. 

“Performing the Paso Doble, please welcome Harry Styles and Sydney Carrera” boomed the announcer’s voice. Harry plastered a huge smile across his face, and stepped through the curtain into the blinding lights beyond.

*******************

“I can’t believe this is it, our final dance” Harry spoke, leaning heavily against the wall backstage in his dressing room. Louis, Niall and Liam had made their way backstage between performance sets, and were all sat in the dressing room, nervously twiddling their fingers, and watching their friend. 

“Mate, that first dance was sick, you nailed it” Niall grinned at him, tucking into the bag of cheeseballs at his feet.

“Really Niall? Cheese balls? Now?” Liam muttered, rolling his eyes. Niall just laughed, tucking in even more.

Louis slowly got up from the sofa and went over to Harry. He could see the tension in his boyfriend’s back, and wished he could do something to ease it, to make it go away but knew that soon enough, this would all be over. He was quietly confident that Harry could do it, could win – after all, he’d already bagged the highest score of the night for his first dance, but knew the nerves were setting for his final dance – a Waltz.

“Babe, look at me” Louis spoke carefully into Harry’s ear, gently pulling at his boyfriend’s left hand until they were facing each other. It felt like they were the only ones in the room, breathing in sync, holding each other.

“I am so proud of you, yeah? Win or lose. I don’t care. The fact you’ve got up there, faced your fear and danced your ass off every week. That’s amazing to me. Watching you move, it makes me feel so proud, and makes me unbelievably horny...” Louis could hear Niall choke on his cheeseballs at that line but carried on regardless. “ But most of all, I can’t believe you are mine and I get to have you for all of time”.

Harry sniffed, hoping to stop the tears he could feel gathering his eyes, knowing he’d have to have his stage make up redone if he did, but couldn’t stop them from falling when he felt Louis’ soft lips meet his. They didn’t move much, just relishing the feel of each other, needing that touch. Harry placed his forehead gently against Louis’, just grounding himself for a few more minutes.

A soft tap came at the door, and Sydney slowly walked through. The eyes of the four men were drawn to her, and she looked stunning, dressed in a flowing soft pink ball gown, one which complemented the soft pink tie Harry was wearing with his suit. Her earrings and bracelets sparkled, her hair was swept up, and together, they made a stunning pair.  
Harry turned around to see Niall’s eyes virtually bulging out of his head, and that perfectly broke the tension. Harry exploded in laughter as Niall tried to gather himself.

“Are you ready sweetheart?” she questioned carefully, looking between Harry and Louis.

“No” Harry muttered, turning to rest his head against Louis’ shoulder once more.

“Come on love. Go and make me proud.” Harry felt a soft kiss on his cheek from Louis then, and was soon gathered up into a group hug with his band mates, feeling them clinging on to him, wishing him luck and saying how proud they all were.

Soon, they left the room, leaving just him and Sydney stood there.

“Here goes nothing....” Harry spoke, as she took his hand towards the stage for the final time.

*********************8

Their waltz was to be performed to Louis and Harry’s song. Their song – ‘You’re Still the One’ by Shania Twain. Harry had always loved this song, ever since he heard his mum play it throughout his childhood, but it took on a whole new meaning once he heard it with Louis. Louis was, and forever would be, his ‘one’ and he knew this final Waltz was completely for him.

He stood in the middle of the dance floor, took Sydney’s small, delicate hand in his, met her eyes and nodded gently. They smiled at each other as the opening notes of the music filled the room and began to move as one. The lights in the studio were soft, a single spotlight following the twirling couple around the dance floor. The audience were silent, captivated by the beauty of the dance in front of them, and the energy in the room felt electric.

The chorus rang out and Harry confidently twirled Sydney around, aware of the hundreds of eyes on them, listening to every word of the amazing singer at the top of the stage. There was a quiet murmur as the track headed towards its crescendo, and Harry almost faltered, wondering what was happening. Instead, he gathered himself and prepared for the final few moves.

“I’m so glad we’ve made it....  
Look how far we’ve come my baby”

The final words of the song were sung and as Harry went to gather Sydney up into his arms for the final hold, he suddenly felt confused when he felt her start to pull away.She twirled elegantly, allowing the full skirt of her dress to spin around her, sequins catching the light, and as she did, Harry’s jaw dropped to the floor. 

Behind her, bathed in a single bright spotlight was Louis. On the dance floor. On one knee. Harry’s heart was pounding, the room was completely silent. He was sure everyone would be able to hear his heart knocking against his ribs.

Louis coughed gently, and opened up the small navy blue box sitting in his palm. Harry could hear gasps all around the room and he made one step towards the man in front of him, realisations hitting him all over.

“Harry. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to do this. I love you. More than you could ever know. You complete me, and I want you to be mine. Always. Harry Styles – will you marry me?”

Harry could hear the excited gasps and squeals around the room, could see Sydney with a huge grin across her face out of the corner of his eye. He felt stunned. He couldn’t believe Louis had done this for him, that all his dreams were completely coming true. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve it.

Aware that he had an answer to give, he started to smile, nodding his head and saying “a million times yes Louis, I love you”, and the room erupted in the loudest cheers anyone had ever heard.

Louis took the simple platinum band out of the box, and grabbed Harry’s shaking left hand as he slowly slid the ring onto his ring finger, kissing it as he placed it there. He quickly stood up, and Harry grabbed him and kissed him in front of everyone, with everyone cheering around them. Sydney swept over and grabbed the two of them in a hug, before Harry felt 2 sets of strong arms grabbing him.

“I am so fucking happy for you guys!” Niall yelled into Harry’s shoulder, tears in his eyes. He quickly switched places with Liam, who had no words, but just the biggest hug for his best friend.

“Well ladies and gentleman, that’s a strictly first! Let’s give a massive cheer to the newly engaged couple Harry and Louis!” shouted the presenter into her microphone, as the pair grinned once more, smiling at the camera as it swept past them, Louis grabbing Harry’s hand to show off his new ring. He kissed his fiancé quickly, whispered a few quiet words into his ear and walked away with Niall and Liam, to their places in the audience again.

Sydney walked Harry across the floor, ready to get their comments from the judges. Instead of words, all 4 judges stood up together and just began clapping. Harry felt completely overwhelmed, not quite believing what had transpired that evening. He just laughed, grabbing Sydney into a huge hug and smiled broadly at everyone in the room.

**********************

Of course, Harry and Sydney had obtained full marks for their beautiful waltz, and were nervously waiting backstage for the final result.

Harry couldn’t stop looking down at his left hand, at the shiny new band around his ring finger. Right then and there, he didn’t care if he won. Of course, he’d love to hold that glitterball trophy, but he was engaged. To Louis. They were getting married. Louis would be his husband. That’s all Harry wanted and that’s all that truly mattered to him.

They could hear the live music act performing on the floor, and the crowd cheering and clapping along, singing the words of the well known hit out loud. Harry had asked Louis and the boys to stay in the audience for this bit, knowing he needed a few minutes of alone time to compose himself before he and Sydney went out for the final result, but was regretting that right now, wishing he had Louis’ arms around him.

Harry was in a world of his own when he jumped a mile, feeling someone grab his left hand. He turned, seeing Louis stood there, a look of complete adoration on his face.  
“Hello fiancé” Louis said with the biggest smile on his face, feeling Louis rubbing the ring he had given him a short while ago.

“Louis, I cannot believe you did that” Harry breathed softly into Louis’ ear, grabbing him in a huge cuddle. “I love you so fucking much, you’ve made all my dreams come true”, feeling a tear slip down his face, and his fiancé carefully wiping it away with a gentle finger.

“I just wanted to say good luck love, that’s all. I’ve wanted this so long, but wanted it to be perfect, and I think this was” Louis said softly, a blush rising up his cheeks.

“It was the most perfect thing ever” Harry nodded at him, kissing gently at Louis’ lips, the pair holding hands and pressed against each other against the wall of the corridor. “I can’t wait to get home with you tonight and show you how perfect I think you are.” Harry smiled into the kiss he gave Louis, feeling his fiancé chuckle softly under his breath.

“Good luck baby” Louis said, as he spotted Sydney walking towards them, and then turned to grab Harry’s partner in a fierce cuddle.

“Let’s do this Harry” she said, grinning at him as Louis walked away from them, down the corridor.

********************************

The room was full of tension. The spotlights were dancing over Harry and Sydney, and the other two finalists, all stood nervously on the dance floor. The infamous glitter ball trophy was on a plinth in the middle of the floor, sparkling and catching the light, and suddenly Harry wanted nothing more than to hoist it high in the air with Sydney.

His navy blue suit, complete with sequin studded lapels, matched Sydney’s gown perfectly, and they were a stunning looking pair. Harry had now removed each of his other rings, so that it was only his new engagement ring was visible on his fingers for this moment, grinning as it caught the light as he wriggled his fingers slightly. Sydney caught him action out of the corner of her eye, and smiled sweetly at Harry, so happy for her partner.

“And the winners of Strictly Come Dancing season 14 are....”

The tension building music pounded. Harry gripped Sydney’s hand in a vice like hold, heart pounding, he could hear the blood rush through his ears, unable to believe this was happening. The spotlight above them flashed on and off. 

“Harry Styles and Sydney Carrera!” the presenter screamed, and bangs sounded as confetti began to rain down over them. Harry was stunned for the second time that night, and was grabbed suddenly by Sydney, pulling him down into a massive hug, before stalking over to claim the glitterball trophy.

“Harry, you’ve won! How are you feeling?! What a night for you – a glitterball trophy and a new fiancé!” the presenter laughed as she shoved a microphone into the face of a clearly dazed Harry Styles.

“I, erm, I, god, I don’t know! Thank you so much! I can’t believe I can dance!” Harry said, causing the room to erupt into fond laughter, making Harry blush. “No, but seriously. I cannot thank this amazing woman here enough” he continued to speak, indicating Sydney next to him, who had a look of complete pride on her face. “She’s an amazing teacher, has the patience of a saint, and this has been an incredibly experience because of her. Also, I want to thank all the people who make this show amazing, the crew, the make up artists, costume designers, the band and singers, you’re all amazing and I feel so privileged to have been part of this.”

Thunderous applause echoed around the room as the other contestants and professional dancers echoed Harry’s sentiments, nodding and cheering along with the audience. 

“But most of all, I want to thank my amazing fiancé Louis. He made my dreams come true tonight, I cannot thank him enough for his support and his love, and I can’t wait to marry you Lou,” Harry smiled softly at the presenter, who pulled him into a quick hug. Everyone was clapping and cheering around him as Harry’s eyes sought out the person in the audience he desperately craved, grinning as he locked eyes with the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever known, unable to stop the smile crossing his face.

“Well there we go ladies and gentlemen, your Strictly champions... Harry and Sydney!”

************************

One Year Later

Harry stood up straight, carefully pressing down the corner of his lapel, ready to go out there and do something he hadn’t done for a year. His cobalt blue tie popped brilliantly against his charcoal grey suit jacket, and Sydney matched perfectly, stood next to him in her stunning sequin covered gown, hair pulled back into a perfect chignon.

“Ready for this love?” she queried, glancing up at her partner for the final time.

“As I’ll ever be” he grinned to her, grabbing her hand gently in his, feeling his ring bump against her fingers as they intertwined their fingers, stepping beyond the curtain once more.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, your season 14 champions... Sydney Carrera and Harry Styles-Tomlinson!”

 

Fin.


End file.
